Wales will have to cope without another British Lions forward for the entire Six Nations Championship after the lock Ian Evans received a 12-week suspension for stamping on Leinster's Mike McCarthy. The 29-year-old Evans and his injured Ospreys' team-mate Ryan Jones will both now miss the whole tournament as Wales attempt to win a third straight title.

Evans, who is moving to Toulon this summer, pleaded guilty to the offence after being sent off by the French referee Romain Poite in the first half of last Friday's match. The independent judicial officer, Jeremy Summers of England, upheld the decision to show the player a red card after McCarthy's head was stamped on at least twice, causing a serious facial wound. Evans accepted the judicial officer's view that such conduct had no place in the game, although he still has the right to appeal.

It leaves the Wales coach, Warren Gatland, with a big pair of boots to fill. The squad does include second-row back-up in Luke Charteris and Andrew Coombs but the 6ft 8in Evans, with 32 Welsh caps, was a key component of last year's successful Welsh pack. In the 14 Six Nations games in which he has been involved, Wales have won 13 of them.

Evans will not be free to play again until 21 April, with his suspension spanning 13 weeks because there is one weekend during the Six Nations when he would not have played. His offence was deemed to be at the top end of the International Rugby Board's sanctions for such offences but a potential 16-week ban was reduced by four weeks due to the player's guilty plea, good conduct and expressions of remorse during the hearing. With the experienced Jones ruled out of the championship with a torn hamstring and the skipper, Sam Warburton, short of match practice after a two-month lay-off with a shoulder problem, Gatland can only hope to avoid further injuries to key forwards before his team's opening Six Nations game against Italy.

Ireland, meanwhile, have lost Keith Earls for the entire championship with knee ligament damage suffered during Munster's 38-6 Heineken Cup win over Edinburgh. They are, though, celebrating the retention of another key player after Jamie Heaslip signed a new three-year deal with the Irish Rugby Football Union.

The No8 had been linked with a move to Toulon but will now remain with Leinster until at least June 2017. "We are delighted that Jamie has committed his future to Leinster and Ireland for the next three years," said IRFU chief executive, Philip Browne. "He has been one of the top No8s in world rugby for many years."

The England wing Christian Wade has also signed a contract extension to remain at London Wasps.

Rhys Ruddock, meanwhile, will captain an experienced Irish Wolfhounds side against England Saxons at Gloucester on Saturday, Calum Clark of Northampton will skipper the home team.